Customer feedback is critical to managing and improving your customer experience but it isn’t easy to get. Worse, it isn’t always useful and enlightening on what you are doing well, or perhaps more importantly, not so well.

In this episode, we tackle a common problem many businesses face: how to get more actionable customer feedback. Our guest, Tim Waterton, Chief Revenue Officer of HappyOrNot®, brings over 20 years of experience in helping companies gather and analyze customer insights. Waterton shares valuable tips on making the feedback process seamless, efficient, and impactful.

One of the main insights Waterton offers is the importance of capturing feedback at the right moment—immediately after the Customer Experience. According to him, this approach ensures that businesses collect more accurate feedback as people's recollections of their experiences fade quickly. He suggests that feedback should be short and simple to encourage participation, using tools like micro-surveys (e.g., quick emoji selections).

Waterton also explains the difference between feedback and reviews. Feedback is company-initiated, where you ask the customer directly, while reviews are customer-initiated and usually more detailed. Both have value but serve different purposes in understanding the customer experience.

A key takeaway is the balance between positive and negative feedback. While many companies receive mostly positive feedback, focusing only on the negatives or positives can skew your understanding. You need both to find areas of improvement and highlight what's working well.

We also warn about the dangers of over-automating customer experiences. Colin shares an example of a milkman who improved efficiency but lost personal connection with customers, ultimately losing Colin’s wife's business. This cautionary tale is a crucial reminder that companies must balance efficiency with the human touch, especially in the age of AI and automation.

We wrap up with practical tips on gathering meaningful feedback, including choosing the right channels, keeping surveys relevant and concise, and acting on the feedback you receive.

In this episode, you'll also learn:

• The difference between feedback and reviews and why both matter

• How to avoid "survey fatigue" and keep customers engaged

• The role of micro-surveys in capturing real-time feedback

• The importance of balancing automation with personal interaction

• Why acting on feedback is crucial to improving Customer Experience